Cover dropper



Feb. 24, 1953 H. R. BALDWIN 2,529,355

COVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Hmeaw A.Ema/4m,

47'TORNE y.

Feb. 24, 1953 H. R. BALDWIN 2,629,355

COVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Feb. 24, 1953 H. R. BALDWIN 2,629,355

COVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR.1414/?040 A! Baum/m BY wa -WM H. R. BALDWIN COVER DROPPER Feb. 24, 195310 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 14, 1950 INVENTOR. f/nfiola 1f? ZnAOW/N BYW WW Feb. 24, 1953 H. R. BALDWIN 2,529,355

COVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 24, 1953 H. R.BALDWIN 2,629,355

COVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 m3 I A;

| l'l v Hill INVENTOR. 0 #44040 A. BflLDH IN Feb. 24, 1953 H. R. BALDWINCOVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 1O Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTORQ flm uo 96440;4/1

Feb. 24, 1953 H. R. BALDWIN 2,629,355

COVER DROPPER Filed March 14, 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 1N VEN TOR.

l/fliaw A? Juan/0v Feb. 24, 1953 Filed March 14, 1950 H. R. BALDWINCOVER DROPPER 10 Sheets-Sheet l0 INVEN TOR. 174m 0 B 5440 W l a .6) 2220 A M M 2/6 fir'raffi'):

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 COVER DROPPER Harold R. Baldwin, Carpentersville,Ill., assignor to Elgin Manufacturing Company, a corpora.-

tion of Illinois Application March 14, 1950, Serial No. 149,619

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to can filling mechanism and similarmechanism.

The present invention relates more particularly to new and usefulimprovements in feed mechanism such as is employed for supplying cancovers, one at a time, to the open type of cans during a can fillingoperation.

In general, the object of this invention is to provide a cover, droppingmechanism whereby can covers stacked in a magazine may be individuallyseparated from the stack and placed in position on the top of a can inaccurate registry therewith without the necessity of. employing anyintermediate conveyor mechanism between the can cover magazine and thecan conveyor.

Another object of the invention isoto provide such a can feed mechanismwidely adjustable and adapted to satisfactorily handle can covers ofdifferent diameters, shapes, and of different styles such as, forexample, a single friction and a double friction type of cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover feed mechanismadjustable within wide limits between the minimum size and maximum sizeof the cans and covers to be handled, both as to the diameter and to theheight of the cans.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic means wherebythe can covers may be accurately registered upon the top of the cans asthe cans are carried by the conveyor with a' continuous or anintermittent motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for synchronizingthe operation of the can cover feed in accordance with the movement ofthe cans along the conveyor and independently of the movement of theconveyor itself.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover dropping mechanismwhereby a can cover may be partially released from the cover magazineand may be engaged by the can to be covered and drawn from its positionin the cover magazine by the motion of this can.

A further object is to provide a modified construction wherein anadjustable conveyor is associated with the can cover magazine andcapable of adjustment therewith.

A further object is to provide an automatic cover centering device inassociation with the can cover conveyor whereby each cover is assured ofbeing located directly over the top of an open can as the same passesthereunder.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a can cover feedmeans simple in construction, dependable in operation and. easilyaccessible for repair or replacement.

.Other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the followingdescription wherein reference is had to the accompanying drawings, uponwhich Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved mechanism showinggenerally the way it may be mounted overlying a filled can conveyor;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view looking from the right of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of my improved mechamsm;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof with parts broken away in sectionto more clearly show other parts;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line l''! of Fig. 3showing one of the connections between the cam oscillating arms;

Fig. 8 is a front view of one of the release cams;

Fig. s-a is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modified form ofthe magazine and particularly adaptable to the double friction type ofcan cover;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevational view adjacent the lower end ofthe can cover magazine showing a modified construction including aslideway for the can'covers;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 10with the can and can cover in a changed position;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary plan view showing the manner in which the covercentering device of a modified construction is operated;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing the canslideway, the cover centering device and associated parts;

Fig. 14 is a front view of one of the magazine rod bearings with theremovable stack rod mounted therein; and

Fig. 15 is a side elevational view of the cap dropper mounted on amachine for performing further operations such as labeling etc., and thecap dropper is operated therefrom.

In the normal course of can filling operations it is the usual practiceto provide a conveyor. cans spaced thereon and carried thereby, a cancover magazine and a cover feed mechanism associated therewith andadapted to position a cover upon each can during its movement along theconveyor. In practice a number of problems have been encountered in theconstruction of machinery for this purpose, as for example, thenecessity of providing a single machine adaptable to handle covers ofvarious diameters and adaptable to feed these covers to cans ofdifferent heights. It has also been found difficult in certain instancesto provide means whereby the can covers may be accurately registeredupon the tops of cans. The fact that the cans as carried by the conveyormay be uniformly spaced thereon or may be spaced at irregular intervalsmakes the accurate registry of the can covers therew more difiicult.

In the present invention these difiiculties have been overcome by virtueof can feeding mechanism wherein the can feed is regulated by themovement of the cans themselves in such a manner that a can carried bythe conveyor will cause the cover feed mechanism to operate at the exacttime that the can comes into position to rece ve the cover. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, a conveyor of any usual style maybe employed and a cover magazine may be held in spaced relationshipabove this conveyor in such a manner that the cans as carried by theconveyor will pass directly below the vertical axis of the covermagazine.

It has been found desirable to construct this cover magaz ne of a numberof parallel vertical rods and provide ad ustable mechan sm for varyingthe spacing between the e rods in order that the mechanism may beadapted for various diameters of can covers. It has also b en founddesirable to construct one of the vertical rods of inter-connectingsections so that a port on or section can be ea ly removed to permiteasy loading of the magazine.

. Adjacent the lower end of the ma azine improved release cams are provded. these cams having lips sup ort ng the stack of can covers and camport ons operative to release one cover at a time from the b ttom of thestack when the release cams are operated. In one of the i lustrativeembod men s of the inv nt on. two of these cams are prov ded. theirmotion being synchronized by a link mechanism and their operat on beingcontrolled b a soleno d which is in turn operated by a switch actuatedby the cans t emselves as they move under the cover feed mechanism. Inorder that various hei hts of can may be covered, the entire mechanismis mo nted upon a vertical slide in such a manner that the distancebetween the lower end of the can cover magazine and the surface of theconveyor may be adjusted at will.

In the embodiment of the invention in wh ch I have chosen to illustratethe same. I provide a vertically disposed support or slideway l6positioned adjacent a conveyor H which may be of any conventional ty e,but is here illustrated in its simplest form, that is. of a common beltconveyor. A frame casting I2 s carried by the vertical support l and mayhave a screw-threaded opening [3 in which is threaded a verticaladjusting screw 14 rotatable by the hand wheel I5 secured to its upperend. The hub I6 of the hand wheel I5 bears a ainst the boss I! of thevertical support l6 and the shaft 14 is freely rotatable therein in sucha manner that the frame casting l2 may be raised or lowered in theslideway of the support H) by the rotation of the hand wheel I5.

Shoulder portions [8 are provided upon the frame casting l2 and areadanted to bear aga nst one side of the slideway I6 while a clampingplate i9 is carried on the opposite side of the slideway 4 ID by meansof two threaded clamping screws 20 carrying hand wheels 2|. It will thusbe seen that the frame casting l2 may be moved to a predeterminedvertical position by the rotation of the hand wheel and the threadedshaft [4, and may be then looked in position by tightening the clampingscrews by means of the hand wheels 2|. It is upon this frame casting l2that the entire can cover magazine and releasing feed mechanism aresupported. On the frame casting i2 bosses 22 and 23 are provided andslide rods 24 and 25 are mounted therein. An adjustable frame casting 26is slidably mounted upon the slide rods 24 and 25 by means of bosses 21and 28.

Mounted in the frame casting [2 above the slide rods 24 and 25 adjustingscrews 29 and 30 are provided. These screws carry bevel gears 31 and 32meshing with corresponding bevel gears 33 and 34 carried by the crankshaft 35 journalled in bearings 36 and 3'! and carrying the crank 38. Itwill be seen that the rotation of the crank 38 will be effective torotate both of the adjusting screws 29 and 30 simultaneously and in anequal amount. A thumb screw 39 has been provided in the bearing 3'! tobear against the shaft 34 and thus lock the adjusting screws in anypredetermined position. The free ends of the adjusting screws 29 and 36are thread-ed into bosses 40 and 4| in the adjustable frame casting 26,and it will be seen that their rotation will therefore move theadjustable frame casting 26 to or from the frame casting I 2.

Secured to the frame casting l2 by means of cap screws is a bracket 46carrying a vertical rod 41 and carrying slide rods 48 and 49 mounted inbosses 50. The adjustable frame casting 26 carries a similar bracket 52mounted thereon by means of cap screws 53 and carrying a vertical rod 54and slide rods 55 and 56 mounted in the bosses 51. As may be seen inFig. 2, the slide rods carried by the bracket 52 are at a difierentelevation than those carried by the bracket 46; and as can be seen inFigs. 3 and 4, the slide rod 48 intersects and crosses the slide rod 45while the slide rod 49 intersects and crosses the slide rod 56.

At the intersection of the slide rods 48 and 55 is mounted a floatingbearing block 66 having bearing portions BI and 62 slidably mounted onthe slide rods 48 and 55 respectively. This floating bearing block 68also carries a vertical rod 63. At the intersection of the slide rods 49and 56 a floating bearing block 65 is provided having bearings 66 and 61upon the slide rods 49 and 56 respectively. This floating bearing block65 also carries a vertical rod 68. The vertical rods 41, 54, 63, and 68are of substantially the same dimensions and cooperate to form anddefine a magazine wherein a stack of can covers 69 may be placed.

Journalled in the frame casting I2 is a vertical cam shaft 10 carrying acam H at its lower end. At the upper end of this cam shaft 16 is mounteda bell crank 12 and immediately below this is an enlarged portion orcollar 13 and a thrust bearing 14. Journalled within the adjustablecasting 26 is a similar vertical cam shaft 15 carrying at its lower enda cam 16. A crank 11 is provided at its upper end and immediatelytherebelow is an enlarged portion or collar (8, and a thrust bearing 19.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the bell crank 12 carriesa link [30: pivoted as at Ma.

. At the opposite end of the link 13a an elongated slot is providedwhereby the crank 11 may be adjustably secured. With reference now toFig. 7, it may be seen that a bolt 86 is provided having a squaredportion 8| adapted to ride in the slot Ma of the link 13a. The upperthreaded portion 82 of the bolt carries a sleeve 83 penetrating anopening 84 in the end of the crank Tl. It will be noted that this sleeve84 is of slightly greater length than the thickness of the crank El andthat a washer 85 and thumb nut 86 are provided. From this it will beseen that the rotation of the thumb nut 86 will clamp the bolt 83, link73a. sleeve 83, washer 85 and thumb nut 86, but will leave the entiremechanism free to rotate upon the sleeve 83 in the crank H. By thisstructure it is possible to adjust the position of the bolt 86 along theelongated slot 75 of the link 13a in accordance with the spacingestablished between the frame casting l2 and the adjustable casting 23by means of the adjusting screws 29 and 30.

Connected to the bell crank 12 by means of stud 8'! is a link 83 pivotedto a solenoid core 89 by means of a stud 9B. This core 39 operateswithin a solenoid coil 9! carried by an extension 82 of the framecasting i2. Referring now to Fig. 3 it will be seen that when thesolenoid coil 9! is energized, the core 89 is drawn inwardly and thebell crank 12 is rotated from the solid line position to the position asshown in the dotted lines of the drawings in Fig. 3. It will also beseen that the crank T! will be drawn from its solid line position to thedotted line position by the link 13a. A spring 94 is provided on thebell crank l2 and a spring 95 is provided .1

on the crank T1 for the purpose of returning these members to theiroriginal position when the solenoid coil is de-energized. At this timethe cranks l2 and 1'! contact stop members 96 and 9! which limit theirmovement. M and 95 may be mounted in any suitable inanner as by means ofbrackets 98 and 99 affixed to the stop members 96 and 91.

It can now be seen that the operation of the solenoid 95 will cause thevertical cam shafts 10 and :5 to rotate through a certain pre-determinedarc. The lower ends of these vertical cam shafts Hi and 15, asherein-before stated, care ry cams H and it. One of these cams is shownin perspective in Fig. 8. cam body It has a substantially arcuatesurface Hill, upon which is carried a projecting lip Hi! and a ridgeportion 162 including an entering edge 593. As will be seen in Figs. 2and 5, these cams H and F6 are so positioned below the stack of covers59 that the covers normally rest upon and are supported by the lip EM.When the solenoid is energized, the cams move in an oscillatingdirection as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 8a, but in opposite andopposing directions, at which time the entering edge H13 of the ridgeportion Hi2 engages between the flange of the lowermost cover and thatof the second cover and wedges them apart, holding the stacked coversand affording free movement of the lowest cover so that it may bereleased. Simultaneously the lip HM moves out from beneath the lowercover and allows this cover to drop directly down. It should be notedthat the direction of the movement of the cams H and i6 is such thatthere is no tendency to dislocate the lowermost cover from its axialalignment with the remainder of the stack. It should also be noted thatthe arcuate face I68 of the cams H and '16 continues somewhat beneaththe lip [Ill and thereby The springs i It will be noted that theprevents any possibility of the released cover moving transversely ofthe direction of the travel of the cam.

With the improved cam construction which I have provided, the lowermostcan cover is released without raising the stack in any way and thecovers are dropped by gravity on the can.

Since this cover release mechanism is electrically operated, means mustbe provided whereby a solenoid coil will be energized at the exactmoment that a can carried by the conveyor H comes into axial alignmentunder the stack of covers 69. To accomplish this a trigger arm H0 isprovided, the end of which is adapted to engage the can III in such amanner that the trigger arm I ill will be moved about its pivot I [2.This pivot H2 may be mounted in any suitable manner, but for purposes ofillustration, it is shown as being carried by the plate H3 mounted onthe frame casting 52 by means of the bracket H4. In a bushing H5 on theplate H3 is a slide H6 whereby the motion of the trigger arm H0 istransmitted to an electric switch mechanism H? of any desired type. Inthis connection it will be seen that it is desirable to have a switchmechanism of a type that will operate positively with a very smallamount of movement.

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that when the can H contacts theend of the trigger arm H0, this trigger arm will actuate the switchmechanism H! mounted upon the plate H3 and cause the operation of therelease cams ii and 76 which will be effective to drop one of the covers$9 upon the can iii. The coil spring H8 serves to return the trigger armHi) to its normal position as limited by the stop H9.

It should be noted that the magazine containing the stack of covers 69is made up or" the four vertical rods, 47, 5d, 63 and 65, and that by adj'ustment of the crank 33, these vertical rods will assume positionssuitable to accommodate can covers a great deal larger or a great dealsmaller than those shown in the drawings. It is to be noted, however,that this adjustment is accomplished by moving the vertical rod 54directly away from the rod ll, and thus causing the slides to operate insuch a manner that the vertical rods 63 and 68 will be moved angularlyaway from the rod 11, but that the rod 4! remains in the same axialposition at all times. Thus, when an adjustment is made to accommodate acan cover of a diiierent diameter, the central axis of the stack of cancovers changes, but the tangent point at which the side of the cancontacts the end of trigger arm iii! remains unchanged.

By making the adjustment in this manner, it is possible to vary thediameter of the cans used within any predetermined limits without thenecessity of making any readjustment of the trigger arm H0. It will beseen that this is greatly advantageous in that changes from one diametercan to another may be made rapidly and with a minimum of inconvenience.

It should also be noticed that when any adjustment is made to vary thediameter of the magazine, a corresponding adjustment must be made on theeiiective length of the link '13 by means of changing the position ofthe bolt 82 in the elongated slot '55. It should be noted, however, thatthe proper effective length of this link is automatically determined bythe adjustment as effected by the crank 38. In order that this be done,it is only necessary that the thumb d nut 86 be loosened before or afterthe adjustment is made. When this is done the springs 94 and 85 will actto bring the cranks 12 and 11 against their respective stops 96 and 91as shown in the full line positions in Fig. 3. The thumb nut 85 beingloosened, a squared portion 8| of the bolt 80 may slide freely along theelongated slot 15 and will assume its correct position therein, sinceboth cranks are maintained in their proper initial positions by means ofthe stops 96 and 91. The thumb nut 85 may then be tightened, whereuponthe bolt 82 becomes positively clamped in its proper position along theelongated slot 15 in the link 13a.

In Fig. 9 a slightly modified form of the invention is shown, which hasbeen found particularly adaptable to the double friction type of cancovers. This construction differs from the construction described onlyin that a lip I is secured to the lowermost end of the vertical rod 68,and this lip I 38 has a depressed portion I3I therein which is effectiveto engage the friction rim I32 of the double friction cap I33 and arrestits downward movement until the leading edge of the cover I33 has foundits proper position in the groove ISA of the double friction type canI35. In this position the cover I33 has engaged the can while stillremaining in axial alignment with the stack, and the continued forwardmotion of the cans I35 as carried by the conveyor I I will cause thecover I33 to be drawn from the lip I38 and fall into perfectlyregistered position on the top of the can I 35.

In Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive, I have shown a modified form of theinvention wherein I provide an adjustable conveyor associated with thecan cover magazine and capable of directing the can covers that havebeen released downwardly at an angle against a stop positioned in thepath of the cans III passing forwardly beneath the a casting I2 by meansof cap screws I56 and formed The with a pair of arm portions I58 andI60. arm portions I58 and I60 are provided with aligned vertical holesI62 and I64 through which a vertically disposed rod member I68 ispositioned.

The rod member I60 is formed with a rigid collar portion I10 adjacentits upper end through which one end of a coiled spring member I12 may befastened. The opposite end of the coiled spring I12 may be fastened in asuitable opening in the arm I58. The lower end of rod I68 is providedwith a shoulder portion I14.

A can cover centering device in the form of a wire member I16 isextended from the shoulder portion I14 of the vertical rod I68. The wiremember may extend to a point generally centrally between the anglemembers I50 of the conveyor and have a portion I16a extending downwardlybelow the bottom end of the same. It will be noted that the coiledspring I12 holds the wire member I16 in the position shown in Figs. 12and 13 and permits the same to be moved in a counter-clockwisedirection, as will presently be more apparent.

The operation of my improved can cover centering device is as follows:As a can III travels forward on the conveyor II between the guides I18,and the automatic trip I I 0 actuates the cams H and I6 to release acover 69, the same is dropped upon the angularly disposed conveyor formby the angle irons I56. By gravity the same will slide downwardly untilthey contact the portion I16a of the automatic cover centering memberI15. As the can I II comes forward its front edge will bear against theextension [16a and move the centering device in an arc about the rodI68. This permits the cover 69 to fall forward and engage in the groovein the top of the can. Further forward movement will cause the extensionH011 to gradually move around the side of the can and the cover thusaccurately centering the cover upon the can.

In view of the fact that one of the angle members I58 is connected tothe casting 26 and the other angle member I50 is connected to thecasting I2, it will be obvious that the conveyor thus formed isadjustable with the cover magazine and associated parts. While thedownward extension I16a of the centering device is thus either centralof the angles or to one side or another, it will be obvious that it willoperate just as effectively due to the fact that it is swung out ofposition against the movement of coiled spring I12. It will alwaystravel in an are along the edge of the can passing through the machineand thus will always effectively center the cover on the can.

In Fig. I I I have shown a modified form of the invention wherein thebracket 86a is provided with a post 4% having a socket 460 therein toreceive the reduced end 41a of a vertical rod or post 41b. This is toprovide for removal of the post so that the magazine can be easily andsimply loaded whenever the stack of can covers becomes depleted.

In Fig. 15 I have shown a modified form of construction wherein thecover dropper cams may be operated by means of a remotely locatedmachine adapted to receive the covers for further operations thereon.

The machine 280 (shown in dotted lines) may have an upper platform 202from which a pair of vertically disposed brackets 286 may extend and towhich the cover dropper unit may be fastened by means of the boltmembers 286.

In this construction a motor M which drives the machine 266 is alsoadapted to oscillate a shaft 288 extending horizontally to one sidethereof. A lever 2H3 which is keyed to the shaft 208 may be connected bymean of a rod 2I2 to the extended end 2M of a lever 25 6. The lever 2I6is keyed to a vertically disposed shaft 2I3 mounted in a suitablebearing 228 on the side of the machine 208 and extending upwardly tocarry one of the cam members 16. Suitable linkage such as previouslydescribed will connect the cam I6 with the opposed cam H. Thus, when itis desired to operate the cams 'II and 16 to release the lowermost cancover from the magazine, it is done by means of the oscillation of lever2I0 in synchrcnism with the operation of the machine 288, the cans beingdropped on the incline chute 228 which is held below the cover 2dgpperunit by means of a pair of side brackets From the above and foregoingdescription it can be seen that I have provided a highly efficient andflexible construction of cover dropper mechanism, one capable ofoperation by means of electrical or mechanical drives associatedtherewith to operate in connection with the movement of cans or aconveyor beneath the dropper or one operable in connection with theoperation of another machine whereby the timed dropping of the covers isdirectly controlled by the action of this machine.

With the removable stack post which I have provided, it can be seen thatit is a simple and easy matter to reload the magazine when the stack ofcovers becomes depleted. Also, with the improved cam construction, aeach of the cams is oscillated in opposite directions, the tapered lipportions will have a tendency to force individual can covers downwardlyfrom the bottom of the pile without disturbing or raising the stack inthe magazine.

While I have illustrated and described a specific embodiment of myinvention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changesand modifications may be made in the exact details shown and I do notwish to be limited in any particular; rather what I desire to secure andprotect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with ahorizontal conveyor adapted to move cans forward in a continuou streamin a straight line, of an adjustable magazine for holding can endspositioned above said conveyor, said magazine constructed of fourvertical rod members arranged to form a square, a pair of brackets forsupporting two opposed rod members and a pair of floating blocks forsupporting the other two opposed rod members, said floating blocksslidably mounted on intersecting rods extending from said brackets,adjusting screws connected to said brackets, a frame for supporting saidscrews, means associated with said screws for moving said brackets andfloating blocks apart or together simultaneously, a pair of rotatablestuds extending downward from said brackets, cam members secured to saidstuds and means adapted to oscillate said cam members to drop thelowermost cover from said magazine whenever a can comes into positionbelow the same, said means connected to a can-operating machine.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with ahorizontal conveyor adapted to move cans forward in a continuous streamin a straight line, of an adjustable magazine for holding can endspositioned above said conveyor, said magazine constructed of fourvertical rod members arranged to form a square, a pair of brackets forsupporting two opposed rod members and a pair of floating blocks forsupporting the other two opposed rod members, said floating blocksslidably mounted on intersecting sets of rods extending from saidbrackets, adjusting screws connected to said brackets, a frame forsupporting said screws, means associated with said screws for movingsaid brackets and floating blocks apart or together simultaneously, apair of rotatable studs extending downward from said brackets, cammembers secured to said studs and means adapted to oscillate said cammembers to drop the lowermost cover from said magazine whenever a cancomes into position below the same, said mean connected to acanoperating machine, said means including a lever connected to one ofsaid studs and an arm connected between said lever and saidcan-operating machine.

3. In apparatus of the class described the conibination with ahorizontal conveyor adapted to move cans forward in a continuous streamin a straight line, of an adjustable magazine for holding can endspositioned above said conveyor, said magazine constructed of fourupright vertical rod members forming a square, a pair of brackets forsupporting two of said rod members, a pair of slide rods extendingdiagonally from both of said brackets, each pair intersecting the otherat their ends, floating bearing blocks mounted on both pairs of sliderods at their intersections, the other two of said upright vertical rodmembers sopported by said bearing blocks, adjusting screws connected tosaid brackets, a frame for supporting said screws, means associated withsaid screws for moving said bracket apart or together simultaneously, apair of studs extending downwardly from said brackets, cam memberssecured to the lower ends of said studs and means including a tripmember positioned in the path of cans upon said horizontal conveyor andadapted to oscillate said cam members to drop a cover from said magazinewhenever a can comes into position below the same, said cam membersadapted to separate can covers from the bottom of a stack in saidmagazine.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with ahorizontal conveyor adapted to move cans forward in a continuous streamin a straight line, of an adjustable magazine for holding can endspositioned above said conveyor, said magazine constructed of apluralityof vertical rod members including a pair or" brackets, a vertical rodmember mounted on each bracket, intersecting slide rods extendingdiagonally from each bracket, a pair of floating blocks mounted on bothsets of slide rods at their intersections, a vertical rod member mountedon each floating block, adjusting screws connected to said brackets, aframe for supporting said screws, means associated with said screws formoving said brackets apart or together simultaneously, a pair of studsextending downwardly from said brackets, a cam member secured to thelower end of one of said studs, the other extending downwardly andhaving a lever connected thereto and means to oscillate said cams, saidmeans including an arm connected between a machine which receives thecovers and said lever and adapted to oscillate the same.

HAROLD R. BALDWIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,041,787 Henry Oct. 22, 19121,058,372 Kruse Apr. 8, 1913 1,162,157 Gray Nov. 30, 1915 1,270,923Brenzinger July 2, 1918 1,737,569 Cameron Dec, 3, 1929 1,864,422 FlookJune 21, 1932 1,884,683 Hermani Oct. 25, 1932 1,916,255 Cabot July 4,1933 2,085,767 Reid July 6, 1937 2,347,668 Davies May 2, 1944

